Getting Help

We have put together 10 signs of drug abuse to help you out.

In assembling this list we had to make some tough decisions. The assumption we went with is that if you are reading this you are trying to figure out if you or someone you love has a drug problem.

We can help with that.

We wrote to help you figure out if there is a problem rather than being technical of any differences between abuse and addiction.

The tough decisions we made in discussion and presentation are kind of technical. As a clinician there was a very distinct difference between a diagnosis of abuse and dependence (addiction). The public pretty much uses the terms interchangeably.

The most recent diagnostic criteria for drug addiction or abuse now calls it a “Substance Use Disorder” Mild, Moderate or Severe. Technically they skirt the issue of abuse and addiction.

But hey, I wrote so you could understand the concepts. Keeping it simple and real. Let’s get to the gettin’.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

10 Signs Of Drug Abuse

Here are the 10 signs of drug abuse we have selected to help you make a determination if a drug use problem may exist. In our opinion, answering yes to 1 or more would indicate an extremely high probability there is a problem. If there are several yes’s than it is pretty much a sure thing. Get an assessment and treatment help right away.

Drug addiction is a progressive disease and it always progresses to the worse.

“Eventually the drug becomes the central organizing factor in the person’s life. His entire life revolves around his drug use.

Here Are The 10 Signs Of Drug Abuse

Behavioral Changes Drugs definitely influence behavior. If you notice somebody behaving uncharacteristically this may be a sign of drug abuse, especially if combined with unexplained mood swings and reacting to situations without a sense of this proportion. In other words, little things become huge or huge things are ignored. Engaging in risky behavior – hanging out in bad parts of town, engaging in prostitution, gambling, or hanging out with a bad crowd.

Changes In Personality.Drugs and alcohol can significantly affect a person’s personality. It is not uncommon for people engaged in substance abuse to experience major and rapid mood swings and emotions running wild. Think about it, the reason people take drugs feel differently. Most commonly seen are becoming angry, a need for isolation, or generally not caring.

Unexplained Demands For Money. Drug use is expensive. Drug abuse is even more expensive. The major problem a drug abuser has is financing is habit. If money is disappearing around the house, wages are unaccounted for or things are going missing this may be an indication somebody is cross the line with their drug use.

Tolerance. Tolerance means that over time a person needs more drugs to feel the same effect or to get high. People with tolerance can generally use more of the substance and show fewer signs of intoxication than other people..

Withdrawal. Drug or alcohol withdrawal is whatever happens to your body and mind when you stop using the drug. As the effects of the drug wears off people have different experiences in different withdrawal symptoms. Some users, particularly opiate users fear the withdrawal from the drugs so much they continue to use. In some cases withdrawal symptoms can be life-threatening involving fever, seizures, and hallucinations.

Being unable To Stop. If a person has expressed a desire to stop drinking or using drugs cut down on the amount that they are using or control their drug and use that is a sign of drug addiction or drug abuse. I is doing this. We can also roll the common sign of loss of control over the drug into the category of being unable to stop. A person says all have just one and they end up with 10

Continued Use Despite Negative Consequences. This simply means that bad things happen when they use drugs. They realize the drugs are hurting their health, interfering with and damaging their relationships, making life miserable, but they continue to use despite this knowledge. This particular sign is very difficult for people with little knowledge of addiction to understand. To them it’s clear as a bell using drugs is a bad thing. To the addict using drugs is the only thing no matter what the consequences.

Obsessively Thinking About Drugs. As drug use increases and lengthens it becomes more and more prevalent in the thoughts of the user. Neurologists estimate that approximately 85 to 95% of all waking thoughts of a drug addict concern is drugs.

Cravings And Urges. People who have crossed the line into addiction have urges to use drugs that are so strong they are physical. Many addicts have experienced the feeling that they would literally die if they did not have drugs. The phenomenon of craving means that once a substance is taken, a psychological and physiological process starts where the person has to have more of the drug. This craving is extremely strong it is described as the phenomenon of “more, more, more,”. One is too many 100 is not enough.

Denial. Denial can be described as a way in which the mind refuses to accept a problem. It is a safety valve for handling addiction. One way to handle the overwhelming problem is to deny that it exists. That belief can be so strong it is impossible to distinguish what is true and what is false for the addict. Denial contributes to the addiction process by keeping the user insulated from reality. The problem can be very clear to friends and family, but not to the addict. Once denial is recognized and broken through 151 the recovery process can begin.

How can we go about helping a drug addicted family member best help an alcoholic who is in a drug rehab treatment center?

There is a great feeling of relief that generally occurs within families once a drug addict gets into a drug and alcohol treatment center. I have had several family members say to me something to the effect of…

At least I can sleep well tonight because I know where he is and I don’t dread the phone ringing.

There is a feeling of relief that the drug addicted family members finally started getting clean, but there is also some concern and anxiety and how to support them while they are in treatment.

There is a line that most family members are aware of containing those dreaded words and a bore and codependent. They do not want to cross the line that they want to help their family member who is in treatment somehow.

What to do? Read on…

Save

The First And Best Things You Can Do To Help A Drug Addicted Family Member

Without a doubt the first thing I would do is to encourage family members to seek help and get education for themselves. Especially on relapse and relapse prevention.

As a clinician there is a group I occasionally do in treatment centers which involves asking the clients the question “Have you ever tried to explain drug addiction or what it’s like to somebody who has no experience with it, your family or friends for example?” Almost everybody says yes they have.

I rapidly follow up their agreement with the question “do they get it?” Almost universally the answer is no.

Family members who have not educated themselves on the disease of addiction don’t have the foggiest idea of what it’s really like. Even with drug addiction education they cannot viscerally know the torment of drug addiction. But, at least they are armed with some facts. They are not buying into myths.

Save

How Do I Get Drug Addiction Family Support Information?

The first way to do this is to attend the family program offered by the treatment center. More often than not family programs are designed to be a benefit to the family member. There is a side benefit of getting to see her family member. I was constantly amazed at how few families took advantage of this.

You can also arrange go see a family counselor or in addiction counselor for yourself. There are many in private practice that specialize in helping families reunite and reconcile.

Try going to Al-Anon and Coda meetings. Al-Anon is the sister organization of alcoholics anonymous the 12 step program. CODA is for co-dependents. It was originally started for wives of alcoholics for their support and education. It is now broadened into a support group for friends and family members. The meetings are free and wildly available – just Google it. They some very good pamphlets that are specifically designed for family members such as “A Guide for the Family of the Alcoholic” or “So You Love An Alcoholic”.

A word of caution about relying strictly on information you get on the internet. Be aware of the credibility od the source you are reading. When I research, I pretty much stick to government websites.

These Books And The DVD Are Personally Selected To Provide Great Addiction Recovery Info For Family Members

Video Clip on 4 Ways To Support Those In Recovery

What About Your Responsibility For Their Drug Addiction?

Many family members believe in some way that they are somehow responsible for their family member’s drug addiction. Ideas such as if only I had been a better father or mother this wouldn’t have happened or if I provided better home or gotten the more things this never would’ve happened. That is simply misdirected self blame.

You should be aware of is that a family member or friend actually has virtually no control over whether their loved one will maintain abstinence or not. The decision to enter recovery and get sober is an internal one for the patient that is the prime determining factor.

Most family programs along with Al-Anon will touch on something called the $ C’s. These are truths about family members and their relationship to the drug addict.

Cause – you did not cause their drug addiction. There is nothing that you did that “made them” become a drug addict. On the flip side there is really nothing you can do to cause them to get sober. They have to make that internal decision for themselves when they are ready.

Control – you cannot control their drug addiction. Sometimes family members will knock themselves out trying to monitor the drug addicts behavior after treatment. It’s almost a guarantee that the tighter you haul in the leash the more resentment will build up.

Cure – you, or anyone, cannot cure drug addiction. It is now commonly held belief that once a person has crossed the line into addiction certain physical, psychological, and neurological changes have taken place that can’t be reversed. Can there be improvement? Certainly. But the saying once an addict always an addict rings true.

Contribute – you can however contribute to a person’s drug addiction.This contribution alludes to enablers and co-dependents. For example when an active addiction if you give your family member money you have just paid for their next high. No matter how dramatic the story behind it is, you just paid for their next high. Codependency and enabling our complex topics that will be discussed in other posts.

Family members should be aware that their loved one is going to go through a lot of ups and downs in treatment, physically, emotionally, and mentally. For instance, mood swings are the norm rather than the exception. As patient’s learn more about their addiction and their consequences, emotions will be triggered. This may lead to calls home expressing exaggerated feelings or a desire to leave treatment early.

People in treatment are often ambivalent about being there. Sometimes it seems like a great idea, and other times it seems like a waste of time. Expect calls home to reflect this. It is an excellent idea to maintain good communication with the staff of the treatment center, particularly counselor.

Save

Help The Staff At The Drug And Alcohol Treatment Facility Out

One way that you can help their loved one during treatment is to provide honest and specific collateral information to staff rather than engaging in secrets with the patient.

Quite often the patient will minimize or under the estimate the extent of problems created more of their alcohol use. The counselor can work more effectively with accurate information.

As a clinician I was often amazed to hear the family side of the story and compare it to what the client has related. Accurate knowledge is fertile ground for therapy.

Do not support any plan to leave treatment early. Period. Finishing treatment does not guarantee success, but leaving early is almost always stacks the odds against them. Your expectation should be that the person stays for the duration. That is nonnegotiable.

I occasionally would “prep” family members to expect a call from their family member in treatment with a long litany of complaints. The food is bad, the staff is mean,etc what they are really looking for is any family member to agree with them as an excuse to leave treatment against medical advice.

When The Addicted Family Member Leaves Drug Treatment

It is a good idea to avoid providing any situations that may remind the patient of drugging or drinking. For example, it is a good idea to remove alcohol and drugs from the house, and not to drink or use drugs in front of them.

I had one client return to treatment shortly after completion for his heroin addiction. When we talked about his relapse he said his family took him out to a nice resraurant to celebrate him being home and suggested a glass of wine with dinner because ‘it couldn’t hurt.’

The idea is to remove temptation and ease of access, but that being said, ultimately they must make that decision for themselves. You can make it just a little bit harder and give them a little more time to say no should an urge or cravings strike.

It truly is a bit of a balancing act, on the one hand you want to remain supportive and positive, but on the other hand you cannot do their recovery for them. Be supportive, but keep healthy boundaries. It’s important to keep healthy boundaries when dealing with the recovering alcoholic; otherwise you could enable them to relapse when you thought you were actually helping them.

Treatment centers will recommend continuing care plan for when the alcoholic leaves treatment. Depending on the situation, this plan might include group therapy, or meetings, or even long term treatment. Whatever the recommendation is, encourage the recovering alcoholic to follow through with it. Do not support, under any circumstances them not following their recommended aftercare plan.

Summary:

Every family member that I have spoken to deep down inside wants one thing, a guarantee that their loved one will not return to using drugs or alcohol. Unfortunately, there is no such thing. There are certain things they can be done to maximize a person’s chances for success and avoid a drug or alcohol relapse.

We would love to have you share your comments with us and our readers. Please leave a comment. The form is WAY DOWN at the end of this post.